An example of a shunt, as known from the prior art is a coaxial shunt. As the name would imply, a coaxial shunt comprises two concentric cylinders in which current flows down an inner cylinder and returns via the outer cylinder. This construction offers low inductance because both currents flow oppositely in almost in same position in space. However, coaxial shunts exhibit certain disadvantages. For example, they are relatively expensive to produce. They tend to be bulky, and they are difficult to cool.
A second prior art shunt is a “flat shunt”. A flat shunt comprises a long metal strip, folded in half, with thin layer of insulation placed between the folded portions. This arrangement offers low inductance, but, it too, is bulky and is even more difficult to cool than is the coaxial shunt.
What is needed is a shunt arrangement for current measurement that exhibits low change in resistance (e.g. minimum temperature rise) due to self-heating caused by current flow, and low inductance to maintain flat response over a wide frequency range.